F.A.G.S.
stands for "Fairies Against Gay Sinners." A aging boomer activist lesbian
gathered 10 of her friends and formed part of a standing room only crowd
at the University of Maine Machias. She marched pathetically around the
room handing out tracts saying that she was the leader of F.A.G.S. and
that she was there to "support" my message of "hate" and "bigotry." She
and her team were all decked out in rainbow colored robes with pointy
hoods. It all brought to mind another group with a memorable acronym that
featured only one letter, “K.” Delightful.

It’s
all the fault of a campus group. College Republicans invited me to speak
on Maine college campuses last fall. I was leading a statewide campaign
to repeal a sodomy rights law that our ministry has twice stopped in statewide
voting. I spoke at a half dozen campuses over a two month period. The
rooms were packed with students, faculty and the press. The audiences,
and the public, expected a political speech. I'm ornery so I instead gave
them a speech on philosophy, art history and psychology. It was fun providing
cause for indigestion to liberal bigots. They were expecting what they
think of as radical religious right wing talking points and got Joshua
Chamberlain, the hero of the second day of Gettysburg, instead.

I've
never been bored thinking about, or sharing, Christian truth. These are
great days to be alive in America. Living just before the time for real
persecution is much easier than living with the prospect of death or torture.
Many Christians in the world face with steely determination that sort
of future, if they openly proclaim and live their Christianity. In once
Christian America we only face jeering, insults and possible job loss
(this last consequence still thankfully rare). My attorney WAS fired from
his law firm in 1999, but that is a story for another column.

I faced
open ridicule on every campus I visited so I have a tiny little bit of
awareness of how Ben Kessler felt during his recent graduation speech.
I spoke on secular campuses. Ben spoke this month to the graduating class
of St. Thomas University in St. Paul, Minnesota. I assume the University
is named after Thomas, the disciple of Jesus. Some know him as doubting
Thomas. He doubted whether Jesus was who he said he was after the resurrection.
Jesus proved himself to Thomas by showing him his wounds.

Then
Jesus spoke to Thomas. He scolded him for needing to see the wounds, for
requiring proof. He applauded believers who have a kind of faith that
empowers them to choose not to require evidence.

Where
Thomas required evidence of resurrection from Jesus, Ben's audience demanded
the opposite. In the place of sincere Christian candor they needed to
hear worldliness in their graduation speaker. Ben's failure to deliver
worldly bromides earned him shouts, jeers and insults. The audience at
the Catholic University graduation, when offered gospel truths, cried
for Barabbas instead. And the administration, like the Romans in the days
of Jesus, delivered. They required an apology out of Ben. They made their
star pupil grovel before the disrespectful crowd.

Some
things never change. I can hear Jesus saying to Ben, "Well done, thou
good and faithful servant."

Ben
outraged his audience by saying that birth control is selfish. He courageously
asked to jeers of sincere horror from his nearly paganized listeners,
"What in society is selfish? I would point to birth control,” He said.
"Birth control is selfish." Judging from the audience response you'd think
he'd torn off his graduation gown to reveal nakedness ... but now that
I think about our Sex-in-the-City-morality in this new American millennium
I realize that would simply draw a collective yawn.

Ben
did bare something. It wasn't his body. That would have been welcomed.
It was, instead, his soul. And instead of respectfully listening to his
spiritual, moral and theological ideas and sifting through them over time
-- the proper Christian response in an academic setting -- Ben's listeners
started their pagan war dance. The scantily clad metal-pierced savages
threw a collective secular high brow hissy fit. I am so glad.

Decent
people everywhere are laughing out loud at St. Thomas University, as they
should. What a pathetic demonstration of juvenile silliness. Can you imagine?

This
4.0 student, recently selected by the faculty and his peers to be student
of the year, was forced into an apology for stopping way short of calling
our religious leadership whitewashed sepulchers full of dead man's bones.
And this in a CHRISTIAN University named after one of Christianity's greatest
heroes. What hypocrisy! If it weren't so obviously ridiculous and pathetic
it would be funny.

The
only idiocy missing from Ben's experience was my aging lesbian friend
from Machias.

I guess
the administration of St. Thomas University hasn't heard of F.A.G.S. yet.
Give them time. Give them time. Sigh.

Michael
completed a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in religion/philosophy
at Roberts Wesleyan College in 1985. In
1989 he became Executive Director at The Christian Civic League of Maine.

In
1992 Michael was the Republican nominee for Maine's House of Representatives
in District 85. He's participated in dozens of candidate and issue campaigns
since 1990.

Mike
speaks each week all over Maine in churches, civic groups and on college
campuses. Mike is often quoted in Maine's daily newspapers and frequently
offers the League's perspective on national, statewide and local radio
and television news programs. He produces a daily two minute radio commentary
program called "Faith Matters in Maine." It airs statewide and can be
heard online at www.celmaine.org

In
addition to having been published in many of Maine's newspapers, Heath
maintains a popular blog called www.mikeheath.net.
He makes his home in South China with Paulie (www.paulieheath.com),
his wife of 23 years.

I've
never been bored thinking about, or sharing, Christian truth. These are
great days to be alive in America. Living just before the time for real
persecution is much easier than living with the prospect of death or torture.